Google searches for “Shift Schedule Templates,” will reveal page, after page, after page of software programs. Unfortunately, and to most people's surprise, these programs won't create schedules for you. You have to enter each employee's on-off work pattern into the program to make it work. Some scheduling programs offer free schedule templates, but these are generic 8-hour or 12-hour shift schedules, best suited for large companies with steady workloads.

Smaller organizations with limited staff and/or uneven workloads can't always use the generic templates offered by the software vendors. If they do, they may have to employ extra, unnecessary staff or live with coverage that doesn't match the work volumes during different times of the day (or days of the week). A lot of companies do this without realizing there are better options. How would they ever know?

So, if you're looking for a new schedule, don't be fooled by these scheduling software programs. They're great for managing an existing schedule, but they won't create a new work pattern for you. And for the few programs that actually offer templates, please beware of the following:

1.     There aren't any templates for companies that operate less than 24/7.

2.     If your staff size is not an exact multiple of 4 (e.g., 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, etc.), the template will not produce consistent coverage. That's because most of them use 4 crews.

3.     If your workload and coverage requirements vary by time of day or by day of the week, the template will not address this. These schedules have the same coverage at all times.

4.     If your pay week (for overtime calculation purposes) is different than the template's, the schedule might produce highly uneven work hours (e.g., 60 hours one week and 24 hours the next), or it might compromise weekends off for employees.